How BIG is Facebook?

How BIG is Facebook? not only presents mind-bloggling statistics about the users and usage of Facebook and how it came into being, but also takes us behind the scenes to look at the Facebook data center complex which is the size of three football fields. Facebook is the second largest site on the web (Google is the largest) with 1.3 billion active users per month. Every 2o minutes there are 1 million ‘likes’, 2 million ‘friend’ requests and 3 million messages sent. More astounding facts are cited in the video.

When we hear about Facebook’s latest acquisitions, it makes us curious about what will come next? What will be the impacts of the high altitude socal powered drone already being tested? Is it only intended to provide broadband Internet worldwide or are there other purposes as well? We need to follow these developments of internet.org.

Other Facebook goals include having the most advanced artificial intelligence lab in the world. In March 2014 Facebook purchased OCULUS VR  for 2 billion dollars. Both Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality seem to be forming the foundations for new Facebook applications.

The video also raise social and ethical impacts that have not yet been well-considered up to this point. What are the impacts of Facebook on individuals and societies? Some include:

• ‘friends’ only knowing each other on a superficial basis online and not engaging in meaningful conversations
• reduced thinking activities cuch as those involved in ‘daydreaming’ and reflection
• reduction in ‘ambient awareness’, awareness and empathy towards others

Do you agree? What other social and ethical impacts are emerging in the Facebook society in which we are personally involved?

Sources

Facebook buys UK maker of solar-powered drones to expand internet, The Guardian, 28 March 2015.

Facebook closes its $2bn Oculus Rift acquisition. What next?, The Guardian, 27 July 2014.